Digital Arts - MArt

On our Digital Arts degree, you develop the technical skills you need to showcase your creativity. Using the latest technology, you can work with video, photographic images, sound clips or text, to create new experiences for audiences, setting yourself up for an exciting career in the creative industries.

Overview

Teaching in the School of Engineering and Digital Arts has been rated as excellent. The course is taught by a team of experts in communication, animation, filmmaking, photography and website design, which ensures you gain a range of skills, allowing you to discover the areas that most interest you.

Our degree programme

In your first year, you are given a broad grounding in digital media, including website design, digital photography, moving image, graphic design and special effects.

In your second and third years, you go on to explore digital filmmaking, 3D modelling, 3D animation, compositing, digital portfolio production and video games design.

In your third year, you also complete a project based on your own interests. This could be an interactive web application, 3D animation or a short film, often produced in association with an industrial partner.

In your fourth and final year, you cover specialised topics in depth. For example, you could choose to study animation principles and also look at action and acting in animation. You take part in group projects where a professional studio environment is simulated so that you become familiar with standard industry practice.

For your Master's project you draw on all the skills you have learnt to produce a video short in high definition, demonstrating your technical and creative skills and your flair for innovation.

BA (Hons) programme

We also offer a three-year Digital Arts degree. For details, see Digital Arts.

Student profiles

Independent rankings

Design Studies at Kent was ranked 3rd overall in The Guardian University Guide 2018 and 4th for research quality in The Complete University Guide 2018.

For graduate prospects, Design Studies at Kent was ranked 2nd in The Guardian University Guide 2018 and in The Times Good University Guide 2018 and 5th in The Complete University Guide 2018.

Teaching Excellence Framework

Based on the evidence available, the TEF Panel judged that the University of Kent delivers consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students. It is of the highest quality found in the UK.

Course structure

For the first three years, you follow the course structure of the BA (Hons) in Digital Arts.

Most modules consist of a mix of lectures, seminars, studio work, computer sessions and private study. The workstations in our computer suites are equipped with current industry-standard software.

In the fourth year, you take seven 15-credit modules based on our existing MSc provision, with the opportunity to specialise by taking optional modules from our Computer Animation or Digital Visual Effects MSc programmes. An additional 15-credit project module runs in the spring term.

The following modules are indicative of those offered. The list is based on the current programme and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments.

Stage 1

Modules may include

Credits

EL313 - Introduction to Programming

INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING IN C

An introduction to the use computers and the process of programming them.

Variable declaration. Executable statements.

Data Types, Expressions.

Operators, precedence and associativity.

Logical Expressions and the if statement.

Decision steps in algorithms.

Nested-if statements.

Switch statements.

CORE C

Repetition and loops in Programs. Conditional loops. Nested control structures.

Stage 2

Modules may include

Credits

EL642 - Project Design

Lecture Syllabus

There are three formal lectures concerning project research, planning and proposal presentation.

Coursework

ORGANISATION AND CONTENT

Students will undertake work in Summer term. The project will reflect students' interests in the area of 2D/3D animation, film-making, software development or special effects and will be supervised by a member of staff, who also sets the initial parameters of the project.

ASSESSMENT

Every student will be individually assessed on their approach to the work as well as their achievement.

Stage 3

There are three formal lectures concerning project research, group work and prototype presentation.

Coursework

ORGANISATION AND CONTENT

Students will undertake a single piece of work over Autumn and Spring terms, presenting a prototype of their application mid-way through the project. The work constitutes 60 credits and thus should occupy about 2 days per week. The project will be supervised by a member of staff, who also sets the initial parameters of the project.

ASSESSMENT

Every student will be individually assessed on their approach to the work as well as their achievement.

Assessment of the project will take the following form:

(a) Prototype demonstration - 20%

(b) Project - 80% (Documentation - 20%, Application - 60%)

After project submission students will attend individual assessment interviews, where they will be asked to demonstrate and discuss their projects with two examiners.

This module is a very practical module where short video clips integrating live video footage, 3D animations and special effects are developed. Each technical workshop session includes hands-on training in visual effects and compositing software. Theoretical lectures include camerawork, real-world and digital lighting techniques, primary and secondary colour grading, digital cinema and visual effects production pipelines.

Theoretical Lectures

Camerawork: framing, composition, and movement through space in real-world and digital environments.

Design of an 8 second sequence using a static photographic plate, design two 3d elements- vehicle (with motion) & a building structure. Design approval (Photoshop PSD) will lead directly into the pipeline to model and texture the elements.

Production of an 8 second Animatic using after effects. Animatic should clearly demonstrate accurate positioning of 3d elements in the Photographic plate.

Render out layers and passes with mental ray including Z-depth pass for depth of field.

Composite layers in after effects adding motion graphics and appropriate Visual effect breakdowns of shot. Motion graphics to include manipulation of Vector files and use of Ray-trace 3D rendering. Compositing to include mask layers and Rotoscoping.

The main strand of the lecture material will establish the foundations of organisational behaviour in the context of the historical development of ideas and theory. The theories will be related to practical examples and thence students will be introduced to modern experience, practice and scholarship. Once the information of the foundation of organisational behaviour is established, at the next level, contemporary topics of management will be touched upon briefly. This will provide students with basic knowledge related to modern management practices. The content of the module will, therefore, be based on the following topics:

This module takes students through every stage of 3D production, using a single fully featured "client" brief, starting with storyboards, design, progressing through modelling, texturing, file referencing, rigging, animation, simulation, effects, lighting, rendering, in a close simulation of a professional animation pipeline, resulting in a practical understanding of the entire process.

Stage 4

Modules may include

Credits

EL760 - Integrated Masters Project

Each student uses all the experience gained on the course to produce a digital short in high definition which showcases his or her professional skills in CGI and forms a suitable entree to a professional career.

The subject, script, models and soundtrack of the piece are agreed with the academic staff.

Animation Setup is an intensive 4-week, 15 credit module at the start of the Programme which has been designed to get all students up to speed regarding the complicated technical processes that surround current animation practice. This module is concerned with the skills and procedures employed professionally including modelling, rigging, skinning, muscle dynamics, texturing and lighting and is undertaken as a set of practical exercises where the student creates a scene with four organic characters and a machine, to be composited in a DV shot.

Delivery is by means of Lectures, Demonstrations, Workshops and Assessed Practical Assignments.

This module is a group project which allows the student to work on a model of an actual animation job provided by our industrial partner. Each group produces an animation from established plates and models to a 4 week deadline. The student works with a model of a production pipeline, becoming familiar with the production process, chains of approval and departmental divisions.

There will be series of practical assignments delivered via workshops based on the fundamental animation concepts discussed in the lectures. These animation scenes will make up two assessed final portfolios.

Teaching and assessment

The course is taught by a team of experts in communication, animation, filmmaking, photography and website design.

All modules contain design and project work, and are continuously assessed. The specialist project at Stage 3 is assessed by a written report, a critique and, of course, the outcome of the project itself. Both Stage 2 and 3 marks count towards your degree result.

You have 24-hour access to our extensive air-conditioned computer suites and are able to take advantage of dedicated photographic and production studios, with green-screen, motion-capture and 3D scanning facilities.

Please note that progression thresholds apply.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

provide a multidisciplinary education for students who seek professional careers in the field of digital arts

produce graduates who have an informed, critical and creative approach to understanding communication through digital media design in contemporary society

prepare students to meet the challenges of a broad and rapidly changing field while providing them with a wide choice of careers

provide proper academic guidance and welfare support for all students.

create an atmosphere of co-operation and partnership between staff and students, and offer the students an environment where they can develop their potential

produce high-calibre professional specialists in computer-generated imagery (CGI), who are highly skilled in using state-of-the-art 3D modelling and visual effects software.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

the audio, visual and verbal conventions through which sounds, images and words take meaning

fundamental concepts of IT and software engineering

the creative processes involved in visual design

the contextual, historical and conceptual dimensions of the discipline

audio, video and film technology, including digital television and DVD

the multimedia authoring process

fundamentals of 3D modelling and animation

key production processes and professional practices relevant to the multimedia industry

the legal, ethical and regulatory frameworks which affect the development of multimedia applications

the role of technology in terms of multimedia production, access and use

the computer animation production process and pipeline roles

the principles and practices of animated film development

the technical terms and methods used in film editing

the fundamental concepts of digital motion art

current developments in the visual effects industry and related market sectors

the relevance of visual effects within the contemporary television and film industries

contemporary business practice in the visual effects industry.

Intellectual skills

You gain the following intellectual skills:

ability to examine multimedia applications critically with appropriate reference to their social and cultural contexts and diversity of contemporary society

awareness that technologies are rapidly changing and that students should expect to update their knowledge throughout their working life

awareness of the objectives, constraints and conditions of a commercial environment, including financial and time constraints

ability to design and develop software based on an analysis of system requirements

ability to carry out research and integrate information and data from a variety of sources for essays, projects and multimedia applications

ability to analyse a problem and develop a solution based on technical, aesthetic and economic factors

consider and evaluate their own work in a reflexive manner with reference to academic and professional issues

analyse, interpret and exercise critical judgement in the understanding and evaluation of multimedia applications

analysis and interpretation of animation issues

ability to work within an animation process and to contribute to this

ability to identify ideas for enhancing a production’s aesthetic quality by the use of CGI

ability to undertake constructive research and development of character performance in animation

ability to demonstrate independence and creative and critical thinking.

Subject-specific skills

You gain the following subject-specific skills:

ability to use scripting and programming languages in the implementation of interactive applications

ability to demonstrate creative and technical skills in drawing and design

ability to integrate text, graphics and time-based elements to produce effective websites ability to initiate, develop and realise distinctive and creative applications which demonstrate the effective manipulation of multimedia assets

ability to utilise a range of research skills, for example, research into potential audiences and markets, as a production tool

ability to prepare technical reports and presentations

ability to prepare storyboards as part of the multimedia project development cycle

ability to apply management techniques to the planning, resource allocations and execution of a design project

use of appropriate software tools, techniques and packages to produce and develop CGI

ability to use drawing as a way of planning, visualising and explaining work in a time-based 3D medium

ability to read and make storyboards and animatics at a professional level

ability to apply management techniques to the planning, resource allocation and execution of a visual effects project

ability to prepare reports and presentations relevant to the design and production of CGI.

Transferable skills

You gain the following transferable skills:

ability to generate, analyse, present and interpret data

use of information and communications technology

personal and interpersonal skills; working as a member of a team

communicating effectively (in writing, verbally and in a variety of media)

learning effectively for the purpose of continuing professional development

ability for working in flexible, creative and independent ways and for critical thinking, reasoning and reflection

ability to organise and manage time and resources within an individual project and a group project.

Careers

Graduate destinations

Digital Arts prepares you for careers in areas such as:

web design

film

games design

animation

internet publishing.

Some graduates choose to go on to postgraduate study, for example our MSc programmes in Computer Animation or Digital Visual Effects.

Help finding a job

The additional experience you gain in your fourth year of working in a simulated studio environment shows employers that you understand how the production process works and are comfortable working in a professional environment.

The School of Engineering and Digital Arts holds an annual Employability and Careers Day where you can meet local and national employers and discuss career opportunities. Ongoing support is provided by the School’s dedicated Employability Officer.

The University also has a friendly Careers and Employability Service which can give you advice on how to:

apply for jobs

write a good CV

perform well in interviews.

Career-enhancing skills

Studying on this degree not only equips you with an in-depth understanding of some of the most exciting technologies of the 21st century, it also helps you to develop useful workplace skills such as:

planning and organisation

leadership

effective communication.

You can gain extra skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.

Independent rankings

For graduate prospects, Design Studies at Kent was ranked 2nd in The Guardian University Guide 2018 and in The Times Good University Guide 2018.

Design Studies at Kent was ranked 2nd in the UK for the percentage of students who found professional jobs or further study within six months of graduation in 2016 (DLHE).

Entry requirements

Home/EU students

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. Typical requirements are listed below. Students offering alternative qualifications should contact us for further advice.

It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.

The University will not necessarily make conditional offers to all Access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis.

If we make you an offer, you will need to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above.

Meet our staff in your country

English Language Requirements

Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of 'pre-sessional' courses in English for Academic Purposes. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.

General additional costs

Funding

University funding

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.

Government funding

You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.

Scholarships

General scholarships

Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.

The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence

At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence.

For 2018/19 entry, the scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.

The scholarship is also extended to those who achieve AAB at A level (or specified equivalents) where one of the subjects is either Mathematics or a Modern Foreign Language. Please review the eligibility criteria.

The University of Kent makes every effort to ensure that the information contained in its publicity materials is fair and accurate and to provide educational services as described. However, the courses, services and other matters may be subject to change. Full details of our terms and conditions can be found at: www.kent.ac.uk/termsandconditions.

*Where fees are regulated (such as by the Department for Education or Research Council UK) permitted increases are normally inflationary and the University therefore reserves the right to increase tuition fees by inflation (RPI excluding mortgage interest payments) as permitted by law or Government policy in the second and subsequent years of your course. If we intend to exercise this right to increase tuition fees, we will let you know by the end of June in the academic year before the one in which we intend to exercise that right.

If, in the future, the increases to regulated fees permitted by law or Government policy exceed the rate of inflation, we reserve the right to increase fees to the maximum permitted level. If we intend to exercise this extended right to increase tuition fees, we will let you know by the end of June in the academic year before the one in which we intend to exercise that right.